ESTHER CHAPTER 7:1–10 FOR WE ARE SOLD, I AND MY PEOPLE, TO BE DESTROYED!

[Study Posted September 20, 2020]

Est 7:1  So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen. 
Est 7:2  And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom. 
Est 7:3  Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request: 
Est 7:4  For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage. 
Est 7:5  Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? 
Est 7:6  And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. 
Est 7:7  And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king. 
Est 7:8  Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. 
Est 7:9  And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon. 
Est 7:10  So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified. 

Chapter 6 ended with the King’s chamberlains bringing Haman to Esther’s banquet. As indicated, this feast is the supper of the great God as revealed in Revelation 19:17-18 where all the fowls that fly in the midst of our heavens, represented by Haman, are invited to come and eat our flesh (our old man) which will consequently result in the death of our old man (Haman) and the birth of a new man created after the image of Christ.

Rev 19:17  And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
Rev 19:18  That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

Est 7:1  So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen.
Est 7:2  And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom.

There are two lessons we can learn from these two verses above. First, this banquet is also called the banquet of wine. We know that wine is made from grapes which are crushed at a winepress and then allowed to ferment. So winepress and wine are closely related and are sometimes used interchangeably, as shown in Hosea 9:2 where floor and winepress are likened to new wine which shall not feed them – that means will fail them.  Now whenever winepress is talked about in scriptures, it relates to God’s wrath against the old man. So what this means is that this banquet or the supper of the great God is when God opens our eyes through the scriptures to know his wrath against our old man (in this case Haman) as we will see shortly in this story.

Another lesson we will get from verse 2 is that if we are fortunate to be invited to be part of this feast in our lifetime, our eyes will be opened, that is, we will know through scriptures that God has made available enough resources (half His kingdom) for us to be conformed to the image of his son. Peter says that according to His divine power, God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him and His precious promises.

Hos 9:2  The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her.

Rev 14:19  And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Est 7:3  Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request: 
Est 7:4  For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage. 

In making petition for her life and the life of the Jews, Esther made a profound statement. I will reproduce verse 4 in NIV to make the statement clearer.

Esther 7:4 For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king. (NIV)

Esther and her people, the Jews, are sold to be destroyed. This is the same as saying that the beast within us is made to be taken and destroyed but each man in his own order. Because this process of destroying the beast entails suffering, we have to cry to the Lord as Esther was doing when we come to our wits’ end so that He will deliver us and bring us to our safe haven. But for those who are sold as slaves to sin in this age (not given repentance in this age), they do not see the need to disturb the King because they think that their choices through their free will mentality will bring them out of trouble. In other words, those who are sold as slaves do not need to petition the King because they are not judged in this life and therefore do not come to their wits’ end. Having said that, I want to say that once you are born of flesh and blood, you will suffer because Jesus said that in this world we will have tribulation. What we are talking about is suffering which leads to repentance.

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

Joh 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Est 7:5  Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? 
Est 7:6  And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. 

Immediately we identify who the enemy is in our lives, which is the beast within represented by Haman. The enemy’s death is near. We can see that when Haman was exposed, he was terrified because he knew his death was near. When we were in Babylon, we focused on the devil outside as our main enemy. Yes, the devil is our adversary, but that is not our main focus. The beast within, who is empowered by the devil outside, is our enemy, and when the beast within is put to death, then we have won the victory over the enemy within and without. Just as the kingdom of God is within, the enemy of the kingdom is also within.

Jesus made it clear in his sermon on the mount that we are not to worry about the enemy outside when he said that we should not resist evil but whoever smites us on our right cheeks, we should turn the other cheek also. This is talking about the enemy outside. However, with the enemy within, we are called to resist the devil so that he flees from us.

Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man (Haman) is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Mat 5:39  But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Jas 4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Est 7:7  And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king. 
Est 7:8  Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. 

As indicated earlier, this banquet of wine is when God opens our eyes to see the wrath of God on our old man, represented here by the King’s wrath on Haman. As we continue in the word, we come to see that the King (the Lord) has determined evil against the old man (Haman). In other words, the old man is born to be taken and destroyed.

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

When the King returned from the place garden and saw Haman falling on the couch where Esther was reclining, he asked in anger if Haman is forcing himself on Esther in his house. This questioning by the King means that once we come to appreciate the Lord’s wrath against our old man through feasting on his words, the old man’s stranglehold on us is broken within us, his temple (his house). If we are blessed to be elected, then our body is the house of our Lord, the King and Haman cannot do anything. Haman, represented by the beast within, cannot force himself on us in the King’s house again. In other words, our temples are being cleared of all that offend. This is exemplified by Jesus driving out the money changers and those who were buying and selling and making a declaration that his house (the King’s palace or our temple) will be called the house of prayer, but we have made it a den of robbers. The den of robbers here are represented by Haman (the beast or the nations within) and its influence on our lives.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

Mat 21:12  And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
Mat 21:13  And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

As verse 8 indicates, immediately the King asked “Will he force the queen also before me in the house?” Haman’s face was covered. The question is, “What does it mean when the face is covered?” The first mention of the face being covered gives us the spiritual meaning. In Genesis 38:15 we are told that when Judah saw Tamar, his sons’ wife, he thought she was a harlot because she had covered her face. What this means is that it is through the words of the King (our Lord Jesus Christ) that we come to know that the beast (Haman) within is a harlot. The harlot status of the beast within us is confirmed when we are told in Revelation 17:1 to come and see the judgment of the great whore (harlot) that sits upon many waters (nations within). This harlot’s forehead has the following names: mystery Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. Yes, indeed we all have played the harlot at certain points in our walk and through the chastising grace of God, we are being delivered from this harlot woman’s clutches.

We must note that in Revelation, it was one of the seven angels that showed John the harlot. In the case of this story of Esther, it was the chamberlains who covered Haman’s face. The chamberlains here therefore represent the elect, just as it was an angel that showed John the harlot woman.  The angel that showed John the harlot also represents the elect as shown in Revelation 22:9 where we are told that the angel is one of us who keeps the sayings in the scriptures. We must therefore pay heed to what we are hearing from those who labor for the gospel.  This is because what we are being taught is the prophetic message which is completely reliable, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts (2Pe 1:19).

Gen 38:15  When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.

Rev 17:1  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Rev 22:8  And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
Rev 22:9  Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

2 Peter 1:19: We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. (NIV)

Est 7:9  And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon. 
Est 7:10  So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified. 

It is the King’s attendant (Harbonah) that identified the device to put to death Haman. What this means is that it is the elect, represented by Harbonah, the Chamberlain, who shows us how we die daily to the flesh through judgment, which symbolizes the gallows. The gallows here are the judgment or fiery trials that we go through which brings about the death of the old man. It is insightful here to note that the gallows were prepared by Haman for Mordecai. What this means is that our own wickedness (our old way of walking) is what is used by the Lord to put to death the old man resulting in the birth of the new man represented by Mordecai. Remember that the gallows were prepared for Mordecai that is, for the birth of the new man.

Jer 2:19  Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

It is discerning to note the spiritual implication of the measurements of the gallows.  It was 50 cubits high; 50 = 5 x 10. [The common cubit being 1.5 feet, these gallows were 75 feet high and visible to a wide area.] Five means grace through faith and 10 means completeness of the flesh (Refer to the significance of numbers in Scriptures at www.iswasandwillbe.com).  What this is suggesting is that it is God’s grace through faith that brings about the death of the old man. As we continue in Him through faith, we are building the gallows (His chastising grace) for the death of the flesh.

According to verse 9, the gallows were situated in the house of Haman. We were the house of Haman in time past, but as Haman within is being put to death, the house (our bodies) is becoming the temple of the Lord or the palace of the King.

Eventually, Haman was put to death. Once we are dying daily, the old man will surely be put to death. We will have the victory over the enemy within. The outcome of this war against the flesh is obvious. We may lose some battles but we will finally win the war against the flesh or the beast in this age.

Rev 15:2  And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
Rev 15:3  And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.